The Paladins of Voltron
by PrincessMuk
Summary: In an alternate universe where Shiro is a medieval king in a war against the Galra Empire, only the lion spirits can aid the kingdom of Voltron in their escape from certain doom. But how will these four amateur knights and a king missing an arm become Paladins? Shallura! (Rating may go up if violence happens.)


King Shiro was a wise man. He'd ruled his kingdom valiantly over the years, and as the Galra Empire in the distance began taking over kingdom after kingdom, he'd fought for his people. He'd gone right up to the front line, successfully saving Voltron from the wrath of Emperor Zarkon, though at a grave cost. His arm had been cut off, and if it wasn't for his masterful doctors, he would have bled to death. Besides that, his two partners in war, the ones who'd been by his side for a few years, though it felt like forever, had been captured. It was a sad time for everyone involved. After returning from the year-long war, he'd found his kingdom in a much graver state than before, the very life seeming to be sucked out of it. He knew he'd been away for a long time, but he hadn't realized how much his people needed him. He'd left Coran, his trusted advisor from the far away kingdom of Altea, to keep the peace in the kingdom, but he hadn't been able to keep the kingdom in great condition. With a war to fund, and an army to feed, the people had been deprived of their resources, much to everyone's dismay (including Coran and Shiro).

Then, Coran had suggested a grand event, one that would cheer up the citizens for sure. A royal wedding. He informed Shiro that Altea was very rich in ways Voltron was not, and they could provide many resources if a treaty was arranged. What better treaty than the bond of marriage? Besides, Altea was in need of some resources that Voltron had by the thousands, so they'd be eager to accept. It all seemed perfect.

Shiro had always wanted to marry for true love, but he knew the diplomatic relations with Altea and the other neighboring kingdoms were much more important than his feelings. So, a few months later, after a few letters and portraits being sent back and forth between the two kingdoms, Princess Allura of Altea was sent by her father, Alfor, to marry Shiro.

Princess Allura was more beautiful than Shiro could have ever known by her portraits, her beauty and radiance shining in a way a painting just couldn't convey. The hint of a smile she bore, showing a caring side, yet also staying as formal as possible, was barely noticeable, yet Shiro saw immediately that she was a different kind of woman. Her long, white hair had been adorned with flowers specially picked from Altea for the occasion, the pink petals wisping in the soft breeze. The markings on her face, a special tradition for any Altean, perfectly complemented her eyes, which seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. They were blue, so very blue, yet Shiro swore there were specks of violet, sometimes a bright, saturated purple, when her eyes lit up in delight.

Shiro was in love.

He became even more in love as he noticed how kind a caring the princess was, treating him and every single person she met with the most generosity and loving demeanor that he'd ever witnessed. She passed out some of the flowers in her hair to small girls who'd run up to her as she was escorted to Shiro's castle, already treating the citizens as if they were her own. She'd smile at any man who complimented her, never seeming to mind the attention, yet never being too cocky about it either. She truly was perfect.

Soon enough, the two had gotten to eat dinner together with their various advisors, discussing plans for the treaties, and other diplomatic issues. But for the first time, Shiro wasn't paying attention to any of it. All he could do was look at Allura as he ate his food, her gaze eventually catching his eye. She blushed lightly, before looking away to go back to her food.

"Princess Allura," he asked her one day, when they'd finally gotten a chance to talk alone. "Do you really want to marry me?"

Allura looked over to him, a thoughtful look in her eye. "Yes," she answered simply, "you seem very kind and wise, and . . . I must admit, I seem to be attracted to you." Her beautiful accent only made the words seem sweeter.

Shiro knew he was very lucky. He'd found true love, even in this crazy ordeal of war and arranged marriages. "I feel the same way," he admitted, blushing for the first time in his life.

"Really?" she asked, astonished. Shiro wondered if she'd been feeling the same way about their situation.

"Yes, really."

Two months later, the two were married, having gotten to know each other much better, and the entire kingdom soon fell in love with the couple. Coran was right, it was just what the kingdom needed. The people were joyful once again, and the incoming supplies from Altea definitely helped the kingdom to be restored to its former glory, perhaps even beyond it.

And all was well.

Shiro soon realized that the war with Zarkon was not yet over. Word began to spread about an invasion being planned for Voltron, one that would supposedly _end_ the last standing superpower against the Galra's great empire. Shiro wouldn't stand for it. He just couldn't. As much as he hated it, he knew he couldn't fight again, the kingdom could not risk to lose their king once more, and the army had been stretched thin in the last few months, all of them being on duty to either protect the outskirts of the kingdom,or its castle.

Shiro thought he was backed into a corner, until his darling princess told him of a great legend . . .

"There is a story," she began, "of a great group of fighters called the Paladins. People have long since forgotten, but they originally connected our two kingdoms. Long ago, they fought to protect Altea from Galra, back when they were trying to siege our castle, and they founded a new kingdom called Voltron."

Shiro's eyes widened. He'd never known of these Paladins. "If only they were still alive . . . "

" _They_ may not be alive, but old Altean legend tells of a prophecy . . . the Paladins have hidden their armor and magical weapons in a secret cave somewhere in Voltron, and only the chosen ones may unlock it."

"But how do we even find the chosen ones?" Shiro asked, fully believing the story, even if it was mostly out of desperation for hope.

"There is a creature who lives in the cave . . . she looks like a lion, but she can be ridden like a horse by her chosen Paladin. Her fur is a bright blue, and she has white markings on her back. She will choose the first Paladin, and lead the rest to her sisters, who are each hidden away in secret places deep within the Earth. Once each Paladin, blue, red, green, and yellow, have been claimed by their lions, they will all come together to initiate an old spell, which will bring the black lion, the leader of them all, from the heavens. Then, the Paladins of Voltron shall be able to defeat the Galra Empire!"

"But how do we know this will all happen now? And what if the wrong person finds the lions?"

"It is all set in stone, written in prophecy by the gods. It cannot be wrong. I knew it was going to happen soon, which is why my father was so eager to help your kingdom, besides the added need for resources."

"Wow," Shiro gaped, impressed at the knowledge his wife possessed.

"The Paladins are due to show up right at your door any day now," Allura told him, her voice soft, "we will be able to form the group just in time to stop the invasion."

"That's good, that's good." Shiro smiled, his hope returning.

And so they waited for the Paladins to come.

But they didn't come, not in time (or at least that was what they had thought). The invasion devastated the kingdom, the Galra generals capturing the great Shiro himself. Coran took Allura to a secret location where they would be safe, the two not knowing the outcome of anything. For Shiro, and seemingly the entire kingdom of Voltron, all hope was lost, and nobody was safe.

That was until some rag-tag group of training knights, and a knight gone rouge had come to save Shiro, the group accidentally ending up working together to get him out of Galra hands. The group was an . . . _interesting_ one, to put it simply.

First, there was Keith, a rouge knight that Shiro had been rather close to years ago, before he went off on his own to do . . . whatever it was he'd been doing. He'd become a sort of Robin Hood, though he'd never gotten in enough trouble for his hijinks to be noticed by the king. His temper wasn't nearly as bad as it had been when he left, as he seemed to have matured, but there was still a hint of it there. Shiro sensed he'd become a sort of _as long as I'm in charge, I'm fine_ kind of man. Though, overall, Keith had become a much better man, and Shiro respected that. He'd been the one to first save him after all, the others had only followed him in out of curiosity.

Secondly was Lance, a knight in training who _thought_ he could ride a horse. Turns out he couldn't to save his life. He was the leader of his little trio (the one that had followed Keith in to save Shiro), and he seemed pretty cocky about it. Actually, he seemed pretty cocky about everything. But Shiro could tell his heart was in the right place, and he seemed to have a pretty level head in battle, but only when the stakes were well-known. He had a very jestery attitude, but Shiro sensed that was only a mask, hiding whoever was really underneath . . . Besides that, he seemed to have a one-sided rivalry with Keith, they'd probably crossed paths once or twice, Shiro didn't really know the details, but it was amusing and annoying all at the same time. Though, Keith had told Shiro he'd helped a lot in saving him, so he was grateful for him.

After that came Hunk, who at first glance seemed to be the muscle of the group. But no, he was actually a very kind and honest man who could actually cook fairly well, and he seemed to know how to fix every problem (mechanical or otherwise) after only a few minutes. Though, he was definitely the most open about his feelings, his constant puking from barely being jolted by his horse and his crying soon afterwords very noticeable, but he was definitely a good asset. Shiro also took note that he seemed to enjoy going through other's bags in search for food, only to find _other_ things . . . but that wasn't that problematic (yet).

Finally was Pidge, the youngest of the knights. He was very agile and lean, and he seemed better with tinkering and strategizing than with actual fighting, though he could do so if necessary. He looked rather familiar, Shiro noted, but it was hard to tell if he'd seen him before or not. Though, given that he was the commander-in-chief of the entire kingdom's army, it wouldn't be that odd to say that he _had_ seen him somewhere once, but Shiro felt almost like he _knew_ him. Pidge was very smart, and very sarcastic towards everyone, but he was also very sweet if you got to know him. He seemed to gravitate towards Shiro more than the others, maybe since he was the youngest, and Shiro was his _king_ , but something still seemed odd about him . . .

After traveling by horseback for many days, the group realized they had no idea where they were anymore. The terrain was turning to desert, which was like nothing Shiro had ever seen before in his kingdom, so they figured they were entering another region. Needing to make camp for the night, the group discovered a nearby cave, which had many odd cave drawings decorating the walls.

All it took was one, simple touch from Lance for the cave to start glowing, the floor opening up beneath them, to plunge them into darkness. They landed in some sort of underground pool, their rusty armor doing little to keep them from getting soaked. Keith noticed a noise, quieting everyone. He stepped forward, his every step sloshing in the water, and Lance was the only one who dared follow behind him. He reached out, his hand jerking away quickly.

"There's a _lion_ in here!" he whispered, trying not to alert the creature of their presence.

"What?" Shiro asked, looking towards the creature. It was hard to see in the darkness, but it looked almost . . . blue? No, it couldn't be . . .

Lance reached out, his hand petting the creature's head softly. "Hey there, buddy."

"Lance! What the hell are you-" Keith stopped mid-sentence.

A pair of yellow eyes suddenly glowed in the darkness, the look of them soft, yet deadly. Lance looked at it for a moment, then the creature _nuzzled him._ Lance smiled, nodding as he climbed onto the lion's back.

"Lance!" Keith yelled, his eyes widening.

"Wait," Shiro said, "let him do this."

The lion strutted forward, her head held high, as Lance sat on her back comfortably. She looked at the others, and they all had the sudden urge to climb on her back as well.

So they did.

And the Paladins of Voltron began their quest.


End file.
